Male bee feeding on whitebrush (Aloysia gratissima) and shrubby blue salvia (Salvia ballotiflora) at a ranch in Puerto Rico, Texas, Hidalgo Co. Identification by Jack Neff.
Added note: The correct subgenus is no longer Mesoxaea (Heteroxaea). It is Mesoxaea (Mesoxaea). Bossert S., et al. (2022) Phylogeny, biogeography and diversification of the mining bee family Andrenidae. Systematic Entomology 47(2):283–302. [“Since the diagnosis of the subgenus Heteroxaea is almost exclusively based on pile colouration (Engel, 2015), we regard the subgenus Heteroxaea as a junior synonym of Mesoxaea.” at p. 290.] The PDF is available here: https://entomology.wsu.edu/directory/faculty/silas-bossert/
Surprised to see this southwestern species abundant here at night! Specimens keyed to bicolor.
Thrill-of-the-day!!!!!! Grew up in California seeing Leafcutters on Nature programs. Beyond Excited to see these spectacular creatures in the flesh.